Anger Management
by WithOneVoice
Summary: When Yang finally loses her cool, she makes a fatal mistake. Will she be able to handle the consequences, or will team RWBY's fiery brawler be unable to recover? There will be a pairing down the line, but when/who is yet tbd.
1. Chapter 1

On the roof of Beacon's dormitory, the sound of steel on steel reverberated through the air. Heavy grunts and war cries flowed freely, and the odor of sweat, grime, and forest pine scented shampoo arose from the scene. Yes, this combination of sensory overload was only indicative of one thing. Jaune Arc was getting his ass kicked – again.

The knight hit the ground hard, his breath leaving his lungs upon impact. He lay on the ground for a few seconds before painfully rising to his feet. He slammed his shield into the ground with a frustrated growl, his arm aching from the exertion.

"Jaune?" His partner called. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Pyr. It's just – never mind," he said.

Pyrrha could hear the defeated tone in his words, and quickly moved to place a hand on his shoulder. "Jaune, you know you can tell me what's wrong. I won't judge you."

The blond sighed. "Thanks. I'm just annoyed, I guess. Yesterday I could get at least a few good hits, but today I can't even scratch you. It's like you were on a whole different level today." He looked at her just in time to see her avert her eyes in guilt. "Pyrrha! Don't tell me you've been going easy on me!" he accused.

The redhead met his gaze, albeit with shame. "I'm sorry, I know you wanted me to go all out but it's not what's best. Fighting against someone at your level is the fastest way you can improve."

"But that doesn't mean you have to let me think that I'm better than I really am! It hurts to think I'm actually getting good, just to find out everyone else is still miles ahead of me!" He knew it was unfair, but the knight was tired of not getting results.

"But you are getting better!" she protested. "You're stronger every day Jaune, and it's showing! Just last week you won both matches against Cardin and Sky. You may not see it now, but you'll be a great huntsman. You just have to be patient."

"Wonderful. Maybe by the time I graduate I might even be able to scratch someone who knows more tactics than 'swing wildly and hope for the best'!"

"You know that's not true. Your strength lies in your ability to lead us on the battlefield. Just because you're not the best fighter doesn't mean you won't reach our level. Your team is here for you, just as we've always been."

"That's just it Pyrrha. I need you guys. But you don't need me. Even after all this training, I'm still a liability."

"Each of us has a role to play Jaune, even you."

"Easy for you to say, it's not hard to feel important when you're the 'Invincible Girl'!"

They both froze after that. He knew she hated being called that. Just as he knew that it was a title that she'd hoped he would never use for her. And if the look of betrayal in her eyes was any indication, Pyrrha was just as hurt as he thought she'd be.

"Pyr-" he began.

"Jaune, please. I'll… see you back at the room, alright. I need some time alone." With that, the champion walked off, leaving the knight to his thoughts.

How could he have been so careless? She'd been training him for months on end, never once complaining about how much time he took. And yet he, Jaune Arc, hurt her more than any other student at Beacon.

He sighed deeply. "Damnit Arc, you really know how to be a great teammate," he muttered.

If she needed time alone, he'd give it to her. It was the least he could do. _Welp, guess I can go to the sparring area. Maybe get rid of some of this frustration before I blow up at somebody._

Jaune made his way down the stairs into the dorms, checking his aura levels before he resumed training. _Ok, note to self. Training with Pyrrha is a surefire way to end up in the red_.

As he passed through the hall, he heard rapid footsteps approaching behind. "Hey Jaune! Jaune! Guess what?" The eternally cheerful face of Ruby Rose suddenly appeared in front of him, rose petals circling around the two. "Team RWBY is having a truth-or-dare game, so you're all coming too!"

"Ruby," he said, "I'm really not in the mood. Can't we do this another night?"

"Hm… nope! You guys have to come!"

"I'm serious, Ruby. Now's not a good time. Tell your team we'll be over tomorrow." He was beginning to feel his head throbbing.

"C'mon Jaune, it'll be so much fun! Please?"

"No. I'm going to train and that's final. Go back to your room."

"But Jaune," she pleaded, doing her best puppy-dog eyes. "We're all gonna have a fun time. You can bring Pyrrha too!"

"Ruby I said NO!" he snapped. "I'm not going to your sleepover! Why is that so hard to understand? If I tell you no, just assume I mean no!" With that he stormed off, leaving a tearful reaper behind.

Yang heard the commotion outside the room, but couldn't make out who was yelling. She didn't suspect anything was wrong until her sister came in, eyes wide and brimming with tears. "Ruby?" she asked softly. "Are you okay? What happened?"

The silver eyed girl stared at the ground before nodding slowly. "I'm okay Yang," she said shakily. "Jaune just has to go train. I should've listened when he said he was busy…"

Without warning, Ruby ran forward and wrapped her arms around her sister, burying her face in Yang's chest. Though she was silent, the wet spots forming on her shirt and the subtle shakes told the older girl all she needed to know.

Oh Hell no. That asshole did not just make her sister cry. Jaune Arc was going to pay.

Yang guided her sister over to Weiss' bed, and motioned for the heiress to take over. "Weiss, I gotta go hit someone, think you can cheer her up for me?"

"What do you think I am, a nanny?" Despite her protest, the girl didn't hesitate to bring her cryng leader into her arms. "Just, don't do anything drastic. We don't need another issue to deal with."

"Don't worry about me. Worry about that Arc punk once I find him."

Striding through the halls of Beacon, the blonde brawler quickly made her path to the training room, where she spotted her target. Jaune was currently working on a punching bag, seemingly taking out his frustrations against the world.

"Hey Arc!" Yang yelled. "Get over here right now!"

"Yang, I'll apologize to your sister as soon as I'm done here. I was out of line, and I'll make it right." The boy sounded exhausted. Unfortunately, she was too pissed off to notice.

"Not good enough vomit boy. You're not leaving here without losing an eye first."

As she approached the boy, he seemed to pale in fear. "Wait, Yang, I don't have any-" whatever the end of his sentence was going to be was replaced by a scream of agony, when his shoulder was impacted first by a shotgun shell, and then an aura-enhanced fist.

"Oh grow up," she mocked. "You've taken much worse than that." She swung again, this time at his face. She felt his jaw shatter, and blood coated her hand. _Weird, I could've sworn his jaw just broke. But that's impossible his aura would've stopped it._ She paused for a moment before looking up at his aura gauge in horror. It read zero.

Glancing down at the boy, she finally saw the damage to its full extent. His shoulder was a mess, the entire right arm seemed to be hanging limply on the floor. His face was even worse. Nearly half of his teeth were missing, and the gashes where his jawbone was now protruding from his skin were seeping blood.

The entire world seemed to stop. She could vaguely hear cries for a medic, while others rushed to try and stop the bleeding. For Yang, all she could do was stare at the crippled form of her sister's first friend.

 **AN: Welcome, and thanks for reading the first chapter of anger management. Now, while the first few chapters are going to be rather… dark in nature, I promise this is going to be an overall lighter fanfic. This is my first fic, so please, please, please, leave a review. Any words of advice on how I can improve as a writer would be greatly appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

The night had not been good to Yang. After Jaune was finally able to be removed from the training area, Goodwitch had sent everyone back to the dorms under enforced curfew to keep the news from spreading. Unfortunately, this wasn't enough to stop her team from finding out.

Weiss got to her first, slapping her across the face. "You're a disgrace, Xiao Long. What did I say? Don't do anything drastic. And then you go do this? I hope you realize that no matter what happens, even if you are by some miracle not expelled, you have ruined this team. So you better pray that Arc survives, because I will not be associated with a murderer." She stormed out of the room, leaving the brawler to face the others.

If the heiress didn't have such a well-mannered upbringing, Yang suspected she would've said much worse. Even still, the words hurt. Much more than Weiss hitting her.

After her, Blake approached. The faunus said nothing, merely shoving Yang out of her way and exiting the room, the whole time glaring at her with disdain.

However, the last, and undoubtedly the worst, was Ruby. The short leader said nothing for a while, just staring at Yang, with a mix of fear, pain, and anger filling her eyes. "Ruby, I'm- " Yang tried, only to get cut off by her sister hurling a lamp at her.

"How could you?" The reaper asked. "Jaune was my friend! You know how hard it is for me to make friends here! Nobody talks to me outside of our teams, they all think I'm some weapons nerd that gets special treatment from the professors! Juniper is the only other team I get to be normal around, do you know how hard that is? You've had your friends here since day one, remember? When you ran off because you wanted make my own? Well I did, and then you had to go and ruin it Yang!" Ruby finally ran out of air, and started breathing heavily. Though she visibly calmed down, the blonde could still see she was angry. "As your team leader I'm ordering you to stay here. The rest of us will be over in Juniper's room. We'll talk in the morning, but until then, don't bother trying to call. That applies to all of us."

With her final piece said, Ruby left the room, leaving Yang alone to her thoughts. Initially, she tried to fall asleep, but quickly realized that wasn't an option. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Jaune lying on the floor, and she heard her team over and over. All of the words they said – and in Blake's case, didn't say – kept replaying. There was nothing she could do to forget about it, or to distract herself for even a moment. So, she sat down on her partner's bed and stared at her blood-stained hands. She couldn't even find the energy to wash them. No tears fell, no sobs broke. She suffered in silence, alone and afraid. Given what she had done, Yang figured that was probably how it should have been. She deserved every moment of that pain.

Sometime during the night, Yang had finally fallen asleep. She had no idea when or how the exhaustion had overtaken her, but it was not a restful sleep. She was plagued by nightmares of blood and tears, and when dawn finally came, she woke feeling more drained than before she had slept. She checked the clock, and saw that it was only 4 AM. The cafeteria wouldn't be open for another hour, and the infirmary not for another two after that. As she finally came to her senses, she noticed a blinking light on her scroll – a new message.

 _Yang Xiao Long,_

 _You are hereby summoned to the headmaster's office at 1 PM to discuss punishment for your actions against Jaune Arc. Failure to show will result in you branded as a fugitive of the Kingdom of Vale, and charged with attempted murder. It is in your best interest to appear before the board. While I would normally wish you good luck in this meeting, I do not feel you deserve it._

 _Glynda Goodwitch_

 _Headmistress of Beacon Academy_

Any chance her day had at getting better instantly went out the window. Attempted murder. That's what she had done. It didn't matter if she had meant to hurt him or not, because she had come damn close to killing him. And Juniper certainly wasn't going to tell her if Jaune was okay, they probably hated her too much to even look at her.

Swallowing, the lump in her throat, she quickly typed up a message to her sister.

 _Hey Rubes. Let me know if you still want to talk today. I understand if you don't. Please tell Juniper I'm sorry, I never meant for any of this to happen._

She pressed send before collapsing on Blake's bed again. Yang looked at her hands again, but to her chagrin they were still red. Even worse, she had stained her partner's sheets while she was asleep. Finally standing, she pulled the comforter and sheets off of the bed before inspecting the mattress for any hand-prints. Luckily, it seemed to be all in the sheets. The blonde tossed the sheets in the washer before starting up the shower, putting it on the hottest setting. The scalding water rolled off her back, the basin at her feet slowly turning pink. She wasn't sure how long she stood there, but it was certainly long enough for there to be no more hot water. She flipped off the shower and grabbed a towel to dry herself. Normally, she would use her semblance, but that required some form of emotion. Right then, she only felt empty.

On her way out of the bathroom, the brawler switched the sheets over to the dryer, and added a few extra dryer sheets just to be safe. If there was any leftover odor, Blake would sense it, and the last thing Yang wanted was to cause her team more trouble. She already had given them plenty.

After cleaning the room for every possible speck of dust, the clock finally reached 7, and Yang left for the infirmary. As she crossed the courtyard, she noticed how the other students moved away from her, each one eyeing her warily. She might have been impressed at how quickly the students had found out what happened, except being at the center of it all made it feel much less impressive. Luckily, the infirmary was close, so she only endured the glares for a minute or so.

Upon entering, she looked up Jaune's room, and saw he was on the 4th floor. Her heart dropped. The 4th floor was intensive care, but for hunters it had a whole new level. Intensive care was only for those who were so close to death they could feel the reaper's scythe. And that's not even counting the time Ruby traversed the hall on rollerblades tapping each patient with her sweetheart. So yeah, 4th floor was bad.

But she couldn't back down now. Yang stepped into the elevator and ascended to the floor, luckily alone. One of the perks of being here so early was that few people visited at this time. She made her way down the hallway, finally arriving at the door and raising her hand to knock.

"Here to finish the job?" The voice was scathing, and she knew exactly who it belonged to. Yang looked over her shoulder to see Pyrrha Nikos standing behind her, weapons at the ready. "You're dumber than you look if you think I'm letting you anywhere near my partner." With a sharp pull, the champion yanked the blonde backwards and positioned herself between Yang and the door.

"Pyrrha please, I just need to see if he's okay. You have to believe me, this was an accident," she begged.

"I wish I could Yang, I really do. But right now, Jaune's laying in that room, barely clinging to life, and all I can think about is how it's all your fault. The doctors say if we're lucky, he might wake up in a month."

"Just let me see him Pyrrha, I need to know he's okay."

"Give me one reason why I should let you through this door, Yang." She knew Pyrrha had every right to deny her, but she had to see him.

"Please. I need to know."

"Know what?" the Spartan asked. "What in the world is so important?"

"I need to know I'm not a killer!"

There it was. The one thing she dreaded above all else. If Jaune survived, maybe she could live with herself, eventually. But if he died, because of her stupid, immature choice? She could never face her team again. She could never face her sister again. The frustration was slowly boiling inside her, and she could feel her semblance heating the air around her. Her blood began to boil – until she felt something sharp press against her throat. She glanced to her left, and saw Ren next to her, with one of StormFlower's blades pressed against her throat.

"Leave now, and I'll give you the courtesy of not telling Nora you were here." The normally stoic boy still held a straight face, but his eyes were filled with unbridled anger.

She nodded slowly, before finally turning to leave. Pyrrha might hurt her, but Nora? If the hammer wielder found her, Yang doubted she'd ever walk again. She glanced back once more at the champion. "I know I have no place to say this, but, take care of him, alright? He's a good guy, and you all deserve better than a crappy friend like me. I'll see you around."

The walk back was just as bad, if not worse than the one earlier. It didn't help that most teams were up and going to their weekend activities by now. Every student had apparently heard of her loss of control, and each stare reminded her of just how right Pyrrha was. It really was all her fault.

When she finally reached her room, Yang found that it wasn't empty. Ruby sat on her hanging bed, lightly rocking the frame back and forth. When she noticed the blonde, she jumped down and approached. "Hey."

"I… I'm so sorry." Yang couldn't bring herself to look her sister in the eyes. "I never wanted to hurt anyone. Especially not you. I know it's no excuse for what I did, but I want you to know that."

Ruby gave her a weak smile. "I know Yang. I talked it over with Blake and Weiss, and I'm sure you were just trying to protect me. But you went too far."

"Ruby, is he gonna be okay?" She wasn't sure she wanted the answer, but the dread was cutting into her like a knife.

"I think so, yeah. He might not wake up for a while, but Jaune's tough, right? He'll get better, and then we can all be friends again."

"That's good," she replied. "And… what about us? Can you forgive me?"

Ruby's smile faltered, and for a moment she didn't reply. "I don't know, Yang. Maybe eventually. You're my sister, and I'll always love you, but this hurt. More than you could imagine."

"I guess I'll have to live with that then, huh?" Yang was glad that her sister would even consider it. She didn't deserve someone like Ruby, not after everything she'd put the girl through. "Hey Rubes?" she asked, finally meeting her gaze. "I'm about to go see four of the scariest people in the world, and I understand if you're not comfortable with it, but I could really use a hug right now." She practically whispered the last part, not wanting to hurt her sister any more.

The reaper heard it though, and she quickly moved to wrap her arms around the blonde. "Of course, Yang. I love you, even if I am still pretty angry with you."

Yang pulled her sister against her chest, gripper the red cloak tightly. "Thank you, Ruby. I love you too. And I promise, somehow I'm gonna make it up to you." She gave Ruby one last half-hearted smile before opening the door and turning down the hall.

Most of the student body was at lunch, so she had a fairly quiet trip, though it was hardly peaceful. The entire walk, her mind was racing with possibilities. She had never heard what punishment was for something like this, but she knew from Goodwitch's many lectures that it was bad. Not only had she broken Jaune's aura, but she had continued to hit him after that. Even something as simple as a courtyard brawl was punishable by a week's worth of detention, so she couldn't imagine what she would get. Maybe if she was unbelievably lucky, they would just suspend her the rest of the year. Worst case scenario, she could be spending a long time in jail.

The thought frightened her. It wasn't that she'd do poorly in jail – in fact prison's for hunters were often more rehabilitation centers than anything else. No, what truly scared her was the knowledge that if Ruby or anyone else she cared about was in danger, she couldn't rush to their side and help. Instead, she would be locked in a cell, useless and powerless.

Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, she reached Beacon's Tower Elevator before she could think of the terrible things that would happen to her friends in her absence. She entered the elevator, and pressed the button for the top floor. She took a few more deep breaths, doing her best to calm her nerves.

As Yang entered Ozpin's office, the first thing she noticed was the people. Goodwitch, Ozpin, Port, and Oobleck all were present, and for once none of them had a smile. Even Port, who was famous for his bravado and infallibly high spirits, seemed to be watching her with a careful eye.

"Welcome Ms. Xiao Long," said Ozpin. "I wish we were calling you here under better circumstances. Unfortunately, the task to determine your fate falls to us. Now, I first would like to ask you: do you in any way deny the actions you are being charged with?"

The blonde took a deep breath to calm herself. "No. I take full responsibility for Jaune's condition. I lost my temper, and failed to check his aura levels."

The board remained stone-faced, each member analyzing her statement. Finally, Goodwitch broke the silence. "Mr. Xiao Long, I want to make this clear. Assaulting a student without aura is no different than assaulting a civilian, and in most cases it will receive the same punishment. However, given that you were unaware of Mr. Arc's aura levels, your actions will be seen as assault against a hunter, not a civilian. I hope you understand just how lucky you are. Had this been any other way, you would be facing jail time."

"That being said," Ozpin continued for her, "we have discussed this at great length, and we must always keep the safety of our students at the forefront of our decisions. Because of your actions, Ms. Xiao Long, it is obvious that you are a threat to my students. Therefore, this board has decided that there is only one possible course to take. Yang Xiao Long, you are expelled from Beacon Academy. From this point forward, you are to relinquish all rights as a huntress in training, and will refrain from taking any jobs that require a hunter license. You have 3 days to arrange for transportation from this campus, and after you leave, you will not return. Due to the nature of your relationship with Ms. Rose, you will be allowed to visit on days when family is welcome, but outside of these instances you are banned from entering. While we cannot force you, we strongly recommend that you cease all contact with your former team, with the aforementioned exception of Ms. Rose. Do you understand these rules, Ms. Xiao Long?"

The brawler sat stunned. This was it, she was gone. In an instant, all her dreams of adventure, the possibilities that awaited her, they were all taken away. She heard Goodwitch repeat the headmaster's question, but could only nod. She was too shocked to speak. She knew her actions were going to have consequences, but it all seemed so far away, until it actually happened.

"Child, I know this must be a lot to take in. I would recommend spending your last days here with your team, and doing your best to make amends with any you feel you can." Although Port's face seemed cold, his tone was empathetic. No teacher ever wanted to see their student's dream taken away. "If you feel the need to discuss anything, all of us here will be available over the weekend. Please, do not hesitate to confess your strife to us."

"I understand." She barely managed to choke out the words. There was nothing left to say, so she nodded in acknowledgement to the board and quickly left the room. She wanted to visit her team, but first she had to make a call.

After a few seconds of ringing, a soft voice answered. "Yang? What's going on?"

"Hey dad." Her voice was trembling, barely containing her emotions.

"Yang, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

She shook her head as her eyes began to tear. "I messed up, dad. I messed up real bad."

 **AN: So, that was a long chapter. I was hoping to get this out on Tuesday, but it just kept growing and I realized it wasn't going to be done in time, so it out today. But on to other things.**

 **First off. Wow. I did not expect this story to get the level of attention that it did. Over 100 follows, and so many people gave feedback and reviews. I can't even start to explain how amazing that is. I'm honored you all enjoyed this so far, and I hope you'll continue to read.**

 **This will eventually go back to Jaune, so him being listed as a main character will not change, but for obvious reasons he won't get a chapter for at least a few weeks. There may be an intermittent Beacon arc where we check in on Ruby and the gang.**

 **Finally, please let me know what you thought of the chapter. I love hearing from you guys, so any feedback is welcome.**


	3. Chapter 3

The next two days were the worst of Yang's life. She wanted to heed Professor Port's advice and make amends, but that was rather hard when JNPR wouldn't come within 20 feet of her. Worst of all, her own team – or ex-team – was actively helping them keep distance. Weiss was sending them messages whenever Yang left the room, and every time she even saw them, Ruby mysteriously needed help with one thing or another. However, nothing hurt more than the simple knowledge that they had every right to do so. She had injured their leader, maybe even crippled him, so them keeping distance was most likely to prevent Nora from trying to recreate Whack-A-Grimm.

Weiss still treated her like a criminal, but she at least that was to be expected. Blake, on the other hand, was a different story. The faunus seemed to be terrified of her, like just the sight of Yang was enough to trigger some painful memory. Practically the only thing keeping her sane was that her sister finally started talking to her again. Ruby was one of the few people that didn't seem to despise her, and though their conversations were always a bit uncomfortable, just having her there was a saving grace.

Unfortunately, inside the dorms was civil compared to what greeted her outside. Each student that had ever held a grudge against her seemed to be using this time to take cheap shots. She was lucky if only three or four students tried to knock her to the ground on her way to the cafeteria, and once she was there she quickly found herself covered in food. She wanted to hit back, wanted to show them just how stupid they were for trying to mess with her. But, she was already on thin ice. As her dad had explained it, if she was penalized one more time, she would be viewed as a repeat offender, and there would be nothing Beacon could do to prevent her from seeing Jail time. Apparently, every other team knew this as well, and so began the tortuous process of avoiding everyone she could. This went well, until the third day.

She was on her way to the docks, since her dad would be arriving any minute. As she rounded a corner, her path was blocked by four men. Team CRDL, it seemed, was not quite finished with their payback.

"Hey Blondie. Heard you were leaving today, so me and the boys thought we'd come down to say our goodbyes. Pretty nice of us, huh?" he sneered.

"Not now, Cardin," she replied, hoping to push her way through. "I'm late for my ride."

The boy had other ideas, catching her wrist and moving her back. Yang might have been strong, but Cardin spent all day swinging a giant mace. And while he couldn't outright overpower her, he could lock her in a stalemate of strength. "Now that's not very nice, is it? I came down here to offer you an opportunity, y'know?"

She paused. "An opportunity? What are you talking about?"

"Well it's really quite simple. My dad, he's got a company. And if I put in a good word, I'm sure he could get you a job. All you'd have to do is stop by my place every few days. Just show up in a nice tight skirt, a little crop top, and I can promise you'll be taken care of. How does that sound?"

Yang dug her nails into her skin, clenching her teeth and doing everything in her power to not punch the ginger brat. He actually had the nerve to insinuate she would stoop so low? She could feel the rage building inside, and she shut her eyes. She wouldn't hit him. She was so close to being done with him, with Beacon.

"Sorry Cardin," Yang replied, struggling to keep a level tone. "I'm not allowed to come back to Beacon, so I'm afraid I'll have to pass on your offer. Now let me go."

"Oh that's okay," he smirked, stepping even closer to her. "You see, you've still got that cute sister of yours. And I'm sure she'd be up for the task, if it meant big sis gets a job. How does that sound?" That was it. She didn't care that she was going to jail. He wasn't leaving here alive. "Now Blondie, what do you say we – agck!"

She froze. She was sure she hadn't swung yet. Yang opened her eyes and looked down. Her hands were still by her side, clenching into fists. Finally, she looked up. The first thing she noticed was the look of pain on Cardin's face. The second was the large hand that now rested on his shoulder, gripping the ginger and forcing him to his knees. A hand which belonged to a tall blond man with a little stubble, and a pauldron resting on his right shoulder.

"Now then," Taiyang began, "given that your hand is on my daughter, and you're talking about a sister, can I assume that's my daughter Ruby you are currently trying to get into bed with, correct?" His tone seemed almost nonchalant, but if Cardin's expressions were any indication, his grip was anything but.

"N-no sir! We were talking about studying! Yeah! I'm great friends with both of your daughters, right Yang?" the boy asked pleadingly.

"Relax, kid. You should be thanking me," her father replied, still with the same smile on his face.

"T-thanking you?"

"Why of course! If I hadn't saved you from that Ursa, who knows what would've happened to you!"

Now Cardin just seemed confused. "Ursa? What Ursa?" His only answer was a fist to the face, which sent him flying into the nearby wall.

"Oh dear. You hit your head so hard you don't even remember." Taiyang was smiling again, though now the malice was clear. "I should also let you know, armor's dangerous around Grimm. If they happen to catch you by it," he paused to grab the boy's chest plate, lifting up before driving him down into the concrete, "it can be very deadly."

The ginger tried to crawl away, only for the blond to step onto his back, one foot pushing his face into the ground. Finally, he seemed to notice the rest of the boy's team, still frozen in shock. "Why don't you boys go get Goodwitch. I'm sure she'll want to hear about a Grimm so close to the school."

"Um, Mr. Xiao Long, sir?" Russel finally spoke.

"Yes, Mr. Mohawk?"

"Uh, well, you're kinda… you're standing on our leader."

Taiyang glanced down, acting as if he was just noticing the boy. "Hm, so he is. Wonderful observational skills, Mr. Mohawk."

"Well, s-sir, can we take him back to Beacon?" Sky asked.

"What do you think, Mr. Blue?" the blond asked.

"Uh… no?"

"Wow. You boys really are quite clever. Give it another year, and you might even be on par with the first-years at signal. Now run along and go get Glynda." With that, the non-pinned portion of CRDL took off running, yelling about how they hated blonde people.

Once the boys were out of sight, Taiyang finally stepped off the now-unconscious leader, and then turned to his eldest daughter. They stood still for a moment, both unsure of how to proceed. After what seemed like forever, her father opened his arms and smiled awkwardly. "C'mere Yang."

She needed no further bidding, rushing into her father's embrace and burying her head in his shoulder. He stroked her hair soothingly, whispering into her ear. "It's okay Yang, we'll get through this. You're strong, and I know you're gonna be just fine." She relaxed at his words, and he at last broke the embrace, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Let's go home. We can talk more on the bullhead, okay?"

Yang only nodded as his strong arm held her close. "Hey, dad?" she asked nervously.

"What's up, sunflower?"

"I-it's nothing really. I just thought… I guess I just expected you to be furious, or mad, or disappointed. I really messed up, dad."

A brief look of pain crossed his face, but he took a deep breath and steeled his emotions. "I'm not gonna lie to you, Yang. For the first day, I was all of the above. I spent more than a few hours down at the bar, and racked up a couple hundred of lien in alcohol. I kept wondering why you would do such a thing, how you could've lost sight of your goals so easily." He paused, trying to think of what to say next. "It was only after I woke up the next morning, feeling like a Goliath was stampeding inside my head, that I realized I have no right to blame you. Not after everything I put you and your sister through."

"Dad, you don't have to-" she tried to interrupt, but was cut off by her father.

"I DO have to apologize, Yang. Maybe me being there for you two wouldn't have changed much, I'm really not sure. But one thing I do know is that if I hadn't been such a coward, if I had actually been your father instead of an emotionally crippled widower, then you wouldn't have felt like you were the only one out to protect Ruby. So to be honest, Yang, I'm not mad. Not at you, at least. You went too far, there's no doubting that, but it was all to keep your sister safe. And I could never be mad at you for doing what I was too weak to do."

Yang walked in shocked silence. She had never heard her father talk so openly about his time after Summer's death. So, she did the only reasonable thing, and pulled him into another hug. "Thanks, dad."

"Anything for my girls, sunflower," he murmured, returning the embrace.

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When the two finally reached their house in patch, Yang was surprised to see a black and grey motorcycle parked in their driveway. "Qrow's here?" she asked.

"Yep," her dad replied. "Got here right before I left. Said he wanted to be here to talk to you about 'options'. Whatever that means."

She gave a short hum of acknowledgement before crossing the threshold into their house, where she was immediately assaulted by a tiny ball of adorableness. "Hey, Zwei," she greeted, before bending down to scratch his ears. The corgi barked in joy, welcoming his master home.

She was alerted to the presence of a third person by the heavy, stumbling footsteps of an amazingly high-functioning alcoholic. "Hey there, firecracker."

"Hey, Qrow. Dad said you had something to talk to me about?"

"What? No greeting? No 'oh I can't believe my favorite uncle dropped by to say hi'?" he joked.

Unfortunately the humor was lost. "Sorry, Qrow, I guess I'm still not over it."

"Relax, kiddo, I get it. So, you got expelled. What's next?"

"Qrow!" Taiyang scolded. "The least you could do is use some tact!" The drunken huntsman just shrugged with his perpetually cocky grin.

"What can I say? I like to think it accents my roguish charm."

"Hey dad? Uncle Qrow?" Yang interrupted. "I- I kinda just want to get this over with."

Both men silently vowed to continue their conversation later, but nonetheless sat down across from Yang. "Yang, honey, this isn't going to be easy to hear. And, I just want you to know that no matter what happens, Qrow and I will always be here for you, okay?" She gulped, her throat tight with apprehension. This didn't sound good. "So, I guess to begin, do you understand what it means to be expelled from Beacon?"

"I think so?" she said. "Prof- Ozpin explained a little of it. I can't take any missions that require a hunter license, and I can't be on the Beacon premises. Is there anything else?"

"Well, kinda," Taiyang said uncertainly. "Technically, you can still do missions alongside a huntsman or huntress, given their express approval." A small spark of hope burned in her chest. "The only thing is…" Her dad stopped again, as if afraid to continue.

"The only thing is, no hunter in the four kingdoms is coming anywhere near you. Not while you're being branded as a traitor to the cause." Sadly, Qrow had no such qualms about subtlety.

And just like that, the spark was stomped out. "A traitor? Why? How?" She knew it was bad, but not that bad.

"Damnit, Qrow! Did you have to phrase it like that? Yang, nobody thinks you're a traitor. What your uncle means is that this is a job built on mutual trust. And a kid who got expelled from Beacon for being too violent doesn't really instill a lot of that."

"But, what about you two? Can't I hunt with you, at least until people see I'm not a threat?"

"Sorry, kid. Your old man and I have our jobs at Signal. We couldn't take time to do our own missions and train you."

"So, that's it?" She waited for someone to correct her, but the response never came. "I'm never gonna be able to hunt again, am I?" Her shoulders slumped in defeat, as the weight of her situation came crashing down.

"I know this is hard Yang, but there are plenty of other options. You can always join the guard here at Patch, I'm sure they'd love to have someone as experienced in combat as you."

"Thanks, dad. I guess the guard doesn't sound too bad." She smiled weakly, but everyone in the room knew it was fake. Hunting was her life – was every hunter's life – and to take that away was to take away their pride.

The room remained silent, until her uncle interrupted with an awkward clearing of his throat. "You know, Tai, if Yang really wants to avoid the guard, I could always call –"

"NO!" The shout surprised Yang, and she nearly jumped out of her chair. "That's not an option Qrow, and you know it."

"Dad, what's he talking about? Who would he call?"

"It's nobody, firecracker. Just an old acquaintance of your uncle and me."

She turned to Qrow. "But you think he'll help me hunt again?"

Her uncle gave a derisive snort. "Honestly, she's more likely to reject you than any other hunter. But she's also the only one I know that wouldn't immediately pass because you got expelled."

Yang shot a pleading look at her father. "Please dad? Please can I see her?"

"I said no, Yang." She flinched at his absolute tone. "She's too dangerous. And I thought we just agreed the guard is the best option?"

"Dad, you and I both know I wouldn't last a week in the guard. Their rules and regulations are the things of Atlas' dreams. Please, I need to do this. Besides, Qrow said she probably won't even take me, right?" She looked to her uncle for support.

The alcoholic glanced between father and daughter, before finally letting his gaze rest on Taiyang. "She's right, Tai. You keep her here, and you might as well be sending her to prison. You know how she is, how both her and Ruby are. They need to see the world."

"Don't tell me how to raise my daughter, Qrow!"

"He's right dad! I can't stay here forever! Why can't I go?"

"Because I can't lose anyone else!" he roared. They fell quiet, nobody sure how to react. "Before, you and Ruby had each other. I thought that meant you'd both be safe. But now you're separate. And Ruby still has her team, and I know they'll protect her, but Yang, you're asking me to let you go to a woman I haven't seen in years. And if you go, but you don't return, it'll be like Summer all over again, only this time I don't know if I'll ever come back from it. Please, just stay here Yang. Stay safe."

She could feel the emotion behind her father's words, and quickly ran to him, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm sorry, dad. I'm so sorry. I didn't think – I didn't realize what this was doing to you."

"Don't be," he replied. "It's not your fault. It never was. It hurts, but I'll get over it. But first, Yang?" She looked up at him. "If I asked you to stay, would you be happy? Would you be content with staying here? I could provide for you, at least until you can find a job…" he trailed off, waiting for her to speak.

She shook her head. "Dad, I love you so much. And I know how much you care about me and Rubes. But staying here, knowing that Ruby or you could be in danger at any time, and knowing that I'd be doing nothing to prevent that? It would eat at me every single day until I die."

He gave a weak laugh. "You know, you really are like your mother. She could never stand being weak, being helpless to change the world."

"Does… does that mean I can go?"

"Yeah. You can go, Yang. Just, promise me you'll come back."

"I promise." She gripped her father even tighter. "I promise, on everything I care about that I will come back to you, and to Ruby, and I'm gonna get stronger. Just you watch."

She turned to her uncle. "So, what's the plan?"

"Easy there, firecracker. We'll leave in a few days."

"Leave?" she wondered aloud. "Where are we going?"

Qrow laughed. "What, did you think I had her magic locator button? We're going to Mistral. We gotta find her first. So go pack, I'll have a word with your old man."

Yang gave her father one last squeeze before bounding up the stairs to her room. Back down in the living room, the two men watched each other. "Do you really think she'll help, Qrow?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "But she's my sister. And I have to believe there's still some good left in her. If anyone can bring that out, I'd say our best bet is her daughter."

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Days later, Taiyang watched the two leave the driveway, taking his car with them. He walked back into the room, before collapsing into his chair and pulling a photo out of the nearby drawer. He stared at the subject for a few moments, his gaze covering her black hair and red eyes. "You keep her safe, Raven," he whispered. "You keep her safe, or I swear I will find you."

 **A/N: And there you have it! Sorry that took so long, I'm gonna be honest, the biggest block was that I had no idea how to write Taiyang. Should he be angry? Depressed? Comforting? Since our knowledge of him is limited to a small snippet of emotionally charged dialogue, I had to guess at a lot of things. But on to more important things!**

 **First, hooray for the plot going somewhere! As you can expect, Yang and Raven's relationship is going to play a big role in this story. I always wondered what would happen if those two were to meet, and now I get to decide!**

 **Second, as you may have noticed, the word count has increased with each chapter. I have no idea if this trend will continue, but I can say that chapters will be no less than 2500 words from now on.**

 **Finally, update frequency: I write when I have time. You guys have honestly been incredibly patient with this chapter, and so I want to thank you all. That being said, I'm going to try and update every week or two. Most likely, updates will occur on weekends, but just expect it to be within that range.**

 **TL;DR: Plot, 2500 words, update within 2 weeks, you guys rock.**

 **Please, review, PM me, make a blood oath to send a message via Ouija Board, however you like sending information, because I honestly love hearing from you all. Your reviews and messages help inspire me to write more, so please, if you have any comments/questions/concerns, let me know!**


	4. Chapter 4

"Yang."

Someone was calling her name. They could wait, she needed her sleep.

"Yang, get up. We're here."

Whoever it was, they could carry her. Or leave her on the Bullhead. Didn't make much of a difference.

"Well, this is a shame. She was really looking forward to going on missions with a licensed Hunter. Guess she has to go home and join the guard now. Really, just such a waste."

Wait… missions? Hunters? The guard? Coming to her senses, Yang leapt to her feet, arms outstretched in a V above her head. "I'm up! Yang Xiao Long is awake and ready for action!"

As she settled down and began to take stock of her surroundings, the Blonde noticed a few things were off. For instance, the fact that the land outside the Bullhead window was blue. And that it wasn't land at all. And that they were flying over an ocean. And that the passengers around her were all trying to contain their laughter.

Finally, realizing her situation, Yang glared at her drunken uncle, who was clearly enjoying himself much more than any respectable adult should have been. "Really, Qrow? You're worse than Ruby on her birthday."

"If you ask me, I did these kind passengers a favor, what with you snoring louder than a Goliath," he replied with a smirk.

"What? I do not snore!"

"Of course you don't. Which is why I have this video of you NOT snoring very loudly."

The brawler quickly hid her face, desperately trying to avoid letting the drunk see her blush. "Why'd you wake me so early anyways? Unless we're headed to a base in the middle of the sea, I doubt we're getting anywhere close." She stopped and pondered for a moment. "Where are we going, anyway?"

Qrow took a long pull from his flask before responding. "Mistral. Last I heard, she was hanging around those parts. Though knowing her, she could just as easily be in Atlas or Vacuo. Vale's just about the only Kingdom she doesn't do business in."

"Wait. You have no idea where she is?"

"Sounds about right."

Yang could feel the irritation building. "So, just to be clear. We're flying across the ocean. To go to Mistral. Where we may or may not find this mystery Huntress. And I may be wasting my time when I should be out looking for any hunter willing to take me?"

"Easy, Firecracker. Give me some credit. We have a mutual contact in Mistral, one who gives out most of the hunter contracts in the area. He's our best bet at finding your new mentor."

"Yeah. Sorry Uncle." Of course, she just had to get angry. Even after seeing what the consequences were, she still couldn't restrain herself. She had already nearly killed her friend, and in doing so broke the only meaningful relationships she made since her father.

"Hey. You okay there?" the calm voice of Qrow interrupted her spiral.

"Yeah. Just fine."

"Yang." This time the Huntsman put a hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention. "What's going on?"

"It's nothing. Just leave it alone."

"Sure doesn't seem like nothing."

Yang let out a sigh. "Look, Qrow, I get it. You're worried. But I don't need somebody else telling me everything's gonna be ok when I know it's not."

"What makes you so sure I'm telling you everything's okay?"

"What?" The question surprised her. She knew Qrow was blunt, but she didn't expect him to actually be honest with her.

"Tell you what. Tell me what's on your mind, and I'll answer any questions you have. That sound fair?"

"Yeah… I guess. Thanks, Qrow." Yang truly appreciated the sentiment. For once, nobody was telling her what they thought she wanted to hear. "So… I know what happened – no, what I did – was bad. But, nobody's telling me just how bad it was. I mean, we get in fights all the time, right? And it's just detention."

"Straight to the point, huh. Guess that's to be expected." Her uncle took a breath, pausing to run his hand through his hair. "I'm guessing Oz explained to you that they were looking at charging you for assault on a civilian, right? Well, to put that in perspective, a fully-fledged Huntsman assaulting a civilian is punishable by life in prison in both Vacuo and Vale. In Mistral and Atlas, the punishment is death."

"Death? I mean, sure it's bad, but killing someone just for hurting a civilian?"

"Yang, you need to understand this. One Huntsman is worth a hundred regular soldiers, even on a bad day. And they're worth a thousand of Ironwood's tin soldiers. And if a Huntsman suddenly decided he wanted to rule a village, or a town? Chances are, nobody in the town could stop them. Even if they all banded together, they'd just be digging a bigger grave. That's why it's so severe. The councils of Remnant had to be absolutely clear – any abuse of power by a Huntsman cannot be tolerated."

The blonde sat in a stunned silence. If she lost control like that again, it wouldn't just be expulsion. She had to find a way to manage her anger. "What do I do?"

"Well, what do you want to do?" Of course, now Qrow was back to his usual unhelpful self.

"I want to – no, I need to learn to control this. I can't slip up again. I need help, Qrow."

"So that's what we'll do. And the first step is to find a Huntress that will work with you."

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Several hours later, the airship finally touched down in Mistral. The pair departed, and quickly made their way to the nearest Hotel. Qrow had explained that they would be here for a while, so they would need a place to stay until word of the mystery Huntress came their way.

Once they acquired lodging, the Huntsman directed his niece into the city. They trekked for a few blocks, before he finally turned into an alleyway. "Before we go in, know this." Her uncle began. "This is a Hunter bar. That means everybody inside is either as strong, or more likely, far stronger than you are. Don't start anything, and make sure you stay by my side. Got it?"

"I understand. No trouble, don't leave you, and everybody in there can kill me. I miss anything?"

"Yeah. Try to keep that mouth of yours from ruining our evening." He gave her a quick wink before pushing through the door.

Inside the bar was completely different from outside. Rather than the stench of vomit and garbage, the bar smelled of expensive liquor. Each patron was calm and aware, and unlike most bars or clubs, there wasn't a hint of drunkenness. It was a large room, nearly 30 Huntresses and Huntsman were present, but it could easily seat twice that. Many of the Hunters carried their weapons, and Yang suspected that even the ones who didn't seem like they were carrying were likely armed to the teeth. "What is this place?" she wondered.

The answer came not from her uncle, but from a voice behind her. "This, young lady, is my bar. The _Grimm's Bane_ is a place for Hunters to come, relax, and trade in peace. Of course, we also deal in contracts. Anytime a Hunter in Mistral needs work, we provide locations of Grimm that need exterminating."

As he concluded, the brawler finally turned to see her speaker. The man looked to be in his sixties, though not out of shape by any means. He was well-dressed, with a black suit over a white shirt, and a silver watch adorning his wrist.

Qrow stepped forward, shaking the man's hand. "It's been a while, old-timer. Nice to see you're still alive."

"Qrow, always a pleasure to have you. And who is your companion, if I may ask?"

"This is my niece, Yang. Yang, this is Hei Xiong."

"But please," the man said with a bow, "call me Senior."

If the man noticed the shocked expression on her face, he chose to ignore it, opting to instead converse with her uncle about some matter regarding Grimm movements in Southern Vacuo. Regardless, she was grateful for the opportunity to steel herself. So far, it appeared he hadn't heard news regarding the club she had smashed up in Vale, but maybe the two were unrelated? Hei Xiong could be a perfectly common name, and the whole 'Junior/Senior' thing could absolutely be coincidence, right? No need to panic whatsoever.

"Miss Yang, was it? Your uncle tells me you spent time in Vale, is that right?" Senior asked. She nodded in reply. "Wonderful city, isn't it? I actually have a son out there, he owns a popular nightclub. Though it seems business has taken a large… hit, lately." His final words were accented with a wink.

"O-oh, really? I had no idea," she lied. "Y'know, we were all just so busy with school, we never really had a chance to explore the city."

He looked Yang over for what seemed like an eternity, before finally shrugging and turning back to the bar. "Pity. I've heard good things." He motioned to Qrow, directing the Huntsman towards a back room. Yang tried to follow, only for her uncle to stop her.

"Wait here. I'll come get you when I'm done." With the parting word, the two men disappeared into the room.

Seeing as she had time to kill, she decided to take a seat at the bar. The bartender approached her, pulling a glass from the shelf and placing it in front of her. "What can I get you, madam?" he asked.

"Strawberry sunrise, no ice." As the bartender set about mixing her drink, a large man took the seat beside her.

"You're Qrow's niece, that right?" he asked in a gruff voice. "That make you Tai's daughter?" His speech was slurred, but still understandable. He looked like he was straight off of a battlefield, with an eyepatch over his right eye and wrinkled clothes.

"You know my dad?" she asked warily. It may have been a hunter bar, but this guy reeked of suspicion.

"Aye, I know him. He was a great Huntsman, until he went soft."

"Soft? What are you talking about?"

The grizzled man snorted. "What I mean is he's got that nice safe job teaching, while the rest of us real hunters deal with the Grimm. You know, the thing we all swore to fight? Humanity's greatest threat?"

"Hey, you can't just-" she tried to interrupt, but it seemed like he had no intention of listening to her.

"Now your mother, there was a Huntress. Never could fathom how Tai landed a girl like that, seeing as he weren't quite the fighter she was. Makes sense why she left. How is she anyways?"

By this point, Yang could practically see the heat rolling off her body as the anger built. "Go. Away."

"I asked you a question, girl. Now I'm just tryin' make pleasant conversation here, but I'm not too happy with your attitude. Then again, can't expect much to come from a man like your father. I tell ya, that Summer girl was much better for him. She was a weak one, too," he sneered.

That was the last straw. First he insulted her father, and now he had the gall to insult the only woman who'd ever cared for her? Ember Celica locked into place, and her arm shot forward –

Only for her wrist to be caught and her chest slammed onto the bar, her arm twisted behind her back. "Now that wasn't very nice, was it?" he asked. She tried to struggle out of the hold, but he had a firm grip, and his leverage prevented her from moving. He pushed on her arm experimentally, and pain lanced through her. Any further, and she was sure it would break.

"That's enough, Gris," said a woman from behind her. "I think it's about time you went home."

The older man – Gris, apparently – hesitated for a moment. "And if I decide to break her arm? You know Senior's rules. Fights are settled between the people who started them. That means me and the damn girl here."

"You're right," the mystery girl laughed. "But then I'd think very carefully about what Qrow's gonna do the second you leave this bar. I reckon you'll be lucky if your arm's even attached after he's done with you."

Finally, the man released the pressure on Yang's arm, pushing her to the side and storming towards the door. Yang lost her footing and nearly fell, but a strong arm kept her upright. Only after Gris had left the bar and slammed the exit closed did she take a glance at her savior. The woman was dressed like a Vacuon herder, with jeans and a flannel shirt, as well as a vest.

"T-Thank you," Yang managed to stammer out.

"That was stupid, you know. He may be a drunk and an asshole, but Gris is still a Hunter," the woman said as she helped Yang back onto her feet.

"He insulted my family, what was I supposed to do? Just sit there and take it?"

The woman held up her hands in apology. "Hey, not saying you were wrong kid. Just stupid. I don't blame you for taking a swing, I'd've done the same thing. But next time, at least make sure you've got someone to back you up. Guys like him are a real problem in this part of the Kingdom. They've spent so much time on the front lines that they hardly can remember who they're fighting."

"Why do you all put up with him, then?"

"We don't. But Gris is one of the few who don't ask for payment for killing Grimm. He hates em so much, he just wants to see em all dead. So, the Counsel orders Senior to give the man some missions. Unfortunately, that means the rest of us gotta deal with his drunk ass barging in here practically every night." The huntress grabbed her drink and downed it quickly. "Name's Pearl, in case you were wonderin."

"oh, well… nice to meet you. I'm Yang. And, thanks again for the save."

"Don't mention it. Though if you don't mind listening, I've got a bit of advice."

"Of course," she said. Listening was a small price to pay for not losing an arm.

"In that case," Pearl said, walking forward and pointing a finger at Yang's forehead. "Always remember to use this, before you use those." As she finished, her finger drifted down to pint at Yang's bracelets. "You've got a fine temper, bigger than most hunters. But that's not always a good thing. Eventually, that's gonna land you in some serious trouble."

"You have no idea," she muttered.

Luckily, it seemed like Pearl was going to ignore her comment. "Well, looks like our time's up. I think that's your Uncle coming back."

Sure enough, Qrow came striding up, placing a hand on his niece's shoulder. "Ready to go?"

"Sure. It was nice meeting you, Pearl," she said, extending a hand.

"Same to you, Yang. Always nice to see what the next generation is bringing to the table." With a wink, the huntress removed herself to get another drink.

"So," Yang started, turning to her Uncle. "What's next?"

Qrow sighed. "Next? We wait. And hope that she's not too stubborn to ignore my message."

 **AN: PLEASE READ**

 **Hey guys, been a while. Sorry about the break, there's been a lot going on and I honestly haven't had a lot of time to write lately. That being said, there's an elephant in the room we need to discuss.**

 **Raven.**

 **When this story began, Raven was ambiguous. We knew she left Yang, and that she was rather cold-hearted, but that was it. Then, episode 4 was released. And now, it is officially canon that Raven has barely any interest in Yang – she barely even considers her family, and already has the tribe. In other words, canon Raven has no place to fit in this story. I knew this would happen eventually, to be honest, but I also thought I'd have more time to establish my own version before she was officially made OOC. So, this leaves me at an impasse, and as far as I can tell, there are two options.**

 **The story ends here. I start work on a different story that I've been planning for some time, and that takes the place of Anger Management**

 **I continue writing this with the full knowledge that Raven will be OOC**

 **I've been thinking a lot about this decision, and I decided that this isn't one that I will take lightly. I know there are a good number of you who enjoy this story, so I figured I would get the input of my amazing readers. After all, you guys are a big piece of what drives me to write. So, there's a poll up on my profile about the two choices, and I'd ask that if you have an opinion, please go and vote. I really value each of your thoughts, and it would really help me to know where to go from here.**

 **UPDATE: I DON'T KNOW HOW TO MAKE THE POLL VISIBLE PLZ SEND HALP**

 **Quick blurb about the new story:  
Alternate storyline that will take place during the second year at Beacon. It will follow RWBY and JNPR, but will the story itself will revolve around two warring factions, the Arcs and the Crescents, as well as a mystery player who will have a major impact on the plot. There will be OC's, but it will not be an OC driven story (in other words, none of the OC's will be main characters, per se).**

 **In other news, I can't find the name, but huge shoutout to the person who corrected me on Raven's eye color. Totally missed that.**

 **Thanks for all the support, and please, leave a review. Still love hearing from all of you beautiful people!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Quick A/N: This takes place 3 days after Yang leaves Beacon**

Pyrrha Nikos was not in a good mood. For the past few days, she had been dealing with the fallout of Yang's reckless actions. Nora, despite her normally bubbly demeanor and friendly attitude, was fully somber. Even Ren's offer to make her pancakes had done little to improve the grenadier's attitude. Ren himself remained quiet, spending time with Nora alone, much like before they were a team. The remained of team RWBY had become reclusive, only showing up for classes and preferring to train on their own. They had also been routinely avoiding JNPR, opting to get to class early rather than risk running into them. So where did this leave Pyrrha? Alone. Just like she always was. Just like she had been for all those years as champion, when her friends started to see her less as a peer and more as an idol to be worshipped. In Jaune's absence, her team was crumbling. Training was ineffective and slow. The team cohesion was splitting at the seams. Ozpin had tasked her as the de facto leader, and it was her job to make sure they were still working.

Why was she the leader? Oh right, because the real leader of JNPR, Jaune, was currently in a coma. Thanks to the idiocy of Yang, Jaune might not wake up. Even if he did, the damage to his body was severe. At best, he would be losing his right eye and most of his right shoulder, as well as a good portion of his jaw. At worst – well, other than him dying – he would need complete amputation of his right arm, and facial reconstruction surgery to make sure he could still eat, talk, and see. So yeah, she had a lot to worry about.

But how was she supposed to carry everything by herself? A team was meant to fight together, not slowly fade away from each other. No matter what she tried, team JNPR couldn't get back to the same level. Jaune may not have been the strongest fighter, but he was the glue that held the team together. Without him, she would have never believed that anyone would see her as normal again. And it was all thanks to him that Ren and Nora had begun to fully embrace the team as their new family. And if Jaune didn't wake up –

No, he had to wake up. He was going to wake up. Too much was riding on him, and despite their leader's many faults, he had never let them down when it mattered. He was there to guard her back with the deathstalker on the bridge, and he stood up for his team against CRDL. Jaune would wake up. He had to.

Pyrrha took a deep breath, and then slowly came out of her thoughts. She was sitting in the library, trying her best to focus on Doctor Oobleck's newest assignment, a 10-page essay on how Grimm activity influenced the outcome of the Great War. Despite her best efforts, her mind refused to settle on the topic. There was too much doubt, and too much confusion for her to think straight. She quickly packed up her things and walked back across campus. However, she failed to notice the silver-haired man standing in her path, until she bumped into him.

"Oh! Professor, I am truly sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going and it was entirely my fault I'm really –"

Ozpin raised a hand to cut her off. "It's quite alright, Ms. Nikos. Though, if you don't mind me asking, why were so lost in thought?'

"Well I… it's about Jaune, sir. I just… I can't shake this fear that he won't wake up. I want to have faith in him, to believe that he'll be strong enough to pull through, but I'm still doubtful. And I feel all the more awful because I know I should have more faith in him than anyone else as his partner, but I can't." She bowed her head in shame.

"One of the greatest trials of remaining a professor here at Beacon, is the knowledge that one day the teams I watched grow will fall apart. That no matter how hard we teachers work, we cannot stop the inevitability of fate. Every team takes it differently, but none take it well. Losing a member is not something that can simply be brushed off, or taken in stride. It affects our minds and our bodies, and often we find ourselves unable to act the way we feel we should. It might feel like you are losing control over everything, but in this moment you must do everything you can to stay afloat. If not for yourself, then for your leader, and your team, and all those you must protect in time. That is the true burden of a Huntress. To bear the weight of all your doubts, fears, and worries, and to put them aside to protect the people."

"But what if I can't?" She asked quietly.

"Then you must find others to help you carry the burden."

Ozpin turned to leave, bur before he could, Pyrrha spoke again. "Professor?"

"Yes?" he replied.

"How did you know… that Jaune was the one who should lead us?"

The headmaster gave her a soft smile before taking a sip of coffee. "Those who come to Beacon come from all walks of life. Courageous or unsure, experienced or untested… together or alone. Often, those who arrive on their own are not lonely, and those who arrive with companions are not surrounded by friends. The four of you, despite coming from different backgrounds, all came with a desire to belong. To feel like a part of something bigger than themselves, to find a home. I merely selected the person I felt would be best to lay the foundation; it was the four of you who made a home for yourselves. But now the door to your home is closed. So tell me, Ms. Nikos, how do you plan on opening it?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Pyrrha got back to the room, she saw Ren sitting next to Nora, the girl curled up under her sheets. "Ren, wake up Nora. We need to talk". Ren nodded before reaching over and shaking the sleeping ginger. She protested a bit, but after a few more light shakes finally sat up.

"Renny, why'd you wake me up?" she protested.

"Pyrrha wanted to speak with us."

Nora yawned loudly before turning her attention to the temporary leader. The two partners looked at her expectantly. It seemed she was going to have to start this conversation after all. "Ren, Nora. I think I need to apologize to you two. This whole time, I've been trying to do what Jaune did. Trying to act like he would to keep us together. But I'm beginning to see that doing so won't work." At the confession, her team looked at her in concern. "I'm not good with people like Jaune is. I can't just make friends with everyone and make everybody happy easily. And I'm not skilled at holding this team together. When Ozpin asked me to take over, I thought I could handle it. But I can't do this alone. I need you two. Because the truth is that I'm so afraid right now. I'm scared that my first real friend in nearly four years isn't ever going to come back. And I'm scared that After all we've been through, I'm going to end up alone again. So please, help me keep this team together."

The silence that followed felt like forever. Pyrrha tried to keep eye contact with her teammates, but after not seeing them move, she couldn't bear the tension and opted to look down at her hands. She heard one of the two get off the bed - probably Nora, considering Ren wouldn't have made any noise to hear. Briefly, she wondered if Nora was going to leave. Did she make her angry?

Instead, she was surprised to find herself wrapped in a tight hug, courtesy of her fellow ginger. Even more surprising was the newly formed wet spot on her shoulder. In the back of her mind, she realized Nora was crying.

"I'm so s-sorry", Nora managed to say in between sobs. "I was so caught up in feeling sorry for myself, I- I never even realized you weren't okay. But of course you weren't! Jaune was your part- he was your partner! Oh Oum I messed up, Pyrrha. I can't imagine how I would feel if Ren was there, but you had to deal with it alone, all because I- because I was too selfish to think about someone else! I'm such a terrible friend!"

Pyrrha was stunned, to say the least. She sat still, stroking her friend's hair until she finally began to calm down. "It's okay Nora", she said softly. "I'm not mad at you. Either of you," she finished, looking up at Ren.

"It's not okay though," the bomber replied, starting to smile sadly. "I messed up, big time." She glanced back at her partner before continuing. "Both Ren and I did."

"And I know you didn't mean to, Nora. Both you and Ren have been good to me, and you're not a terrible friend, I promise."

The ginger seemed to smile a little brighter. "Thanks, Pyrrha. And I promise, from here on out, we're gonna make it better. Starting today, Ren and I are officially on board for mission 'Keep Team Juniper Together So That We Can Be Totally Awesome Again'! Or mission KTJNPRTSTWCBAA for short! Right, Ren?"

The quiet ninja rolled his eyes playfully. "Well, you already signed me up without asking, didn't you? Besides, you wouldn't let me say no anyways."

"You bet your butt I wouldn't!" The three friends dissolved into laughter at the bomber's outburst. Before long, Nora had dragged Pyrrha into another hug, only this time she had managed to steer them straight into Ren, the boy being absorbed like water to a sponge. Of course, this led to some unknown tangling of limbs, as well as the inevitable crash to the ground of the human dogpile, and the new fit of laughter that came with it.

After some difficult work, the team finally untangled themselves. And, for the first time since Jaune's coma, they felt like they were together.

"Hey, do you know what this calls for?" asked Nora.

"Pancakes?" Pyrrha guessed.

"Pancakes."

The trio started to leave, but Pyrrha was stopped by Ren putting a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Pyrrha. For coming to us. We may not have been able to fix this unless you did. Nora and I are so used to being just the two of us, and when Jaune, well… when he got hurt, we reverted back to what we knew – keeping each other safe. But, we can't do that anymore. Because it isn't just us anymore. We have you, and I know we still have Jaune, even if he isn't awake to be here. And for what it's worth, you may not be Jaune, but you are a great leader, in your own way."

"Thanks, Ren", she said. "From now on, let's all do our best."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The weekend was a time of rebounding for team JNPR. While their synergy still wasn't perfect, they had been getting better at sparring. Catching up on missed work had been a nightmare, but thanks to their hard work, they had been able to make a dent in the workload.

However, there was still a clear hole in their team. The void left by Jaune refused to close, and every moment they felt his absence. Without their leader, every action seemed to have just a little less spark than usual, and every lecture was a little more boring. Team battles with Goodwitch were even worse. As it turned out, while Pyrrha was an exceptional fighter on her own, she was not great at telling others how to work with her. More than once, the trio had resorted to fighting on their own, with one of the members taking on two of their opponents. The professor was always quick to point this out, though she at least seemed to understand why they were struggling. After spending over a year fighting by the orders of their leader, Trying to develop a new style was proving to be a challenge.

Despite these setbacks, none of them had given up on keeping the team together. Nora had become more sociable, returning to the cheerful demeanor that everyone was used to. Pyrrha was regaining her confidence, and had reclaimed her spot at the top of the combat rankings. As for Ren, he made an effort to include Pyrrha in all of the discussions between his partner and himself. They still had little interaction with those outside of their team, preferring to keep to themselves.

Yet, there was still one item nagging on each of them.

"We need to talk to team RWBY", said Pyrrha.

"But why?" Nora complained.

"I know it isn't easy," she replied. "It definitely isn't for me. I think I still blame them for what happened to Jaune, even though I know the fault lies with Yang alone. But we have to put that aside right now. From what I've seen, they're not doing any better than we are. Ruby lost her sister, and the others still lost a teammate. We can't let them have the guilt of something they didn't do hanging over them as well. So, as difficult as it is… we need to talk to them."

Ren nodded in agreement. "We shan't let the sins of the father pass to the son. Or I suppose, in this case, the sins of the teammate pass to the team."

They sat in silence for a moment, before Pyrrha spoke up again. "Well, we may as well get this over with. The sooner we do this, the sooner things get back to normal, right?"

Her teammates gave uncertain nods before the all got up to leave. They opened the door, crossed the hall, and stood in front of the door to RWBY's room. "Well, here goes nothing". With that, the champion raised her fist and knocked on the door.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **A/N:**

 **Shockingly, I'm not dead. Just insanely busy trying to survive college. Anyways, I'm sorry this took so long to come out. Every time I sat down to write, nothing came to me. But, I finally managed to crank it out.**

 **Quick update on what's to come: the next chapter or two will take place at Beacon, and will deal with the fallout of Yang's actions. There will be mystery, suspense, and murder… ok maybe like 1 out of those 3 but hey, 33% is better than nothing. Also, I have a new story out. Different Temperatures is a Freezerburn fic that takes place in a college on Earth. Why? Cause College is pissing me off and I wanted to read Freezerburn. I'm a very impulsive person.**

 **Also (last thing, I swear), I'm looking for a Beta reader for this story. Nothing fancy, just someone who can read over the chapter before I post it and let me know if anyone seems OOC or if the dialogue seems dead. If you're interested, send me a PM, and if you want maybe like a sentence or two on why you think you'd be good?**

 **Now that that's done, please, leave a review, let me know if there's anything I can improve, and thank you all so much for reading. Adios!**


	6. Chapter 6

The three members of team JNPR waited nervously in the hallway for someone from RWBY to answer. There was a heavy silence around them, but nobody wanted to break it. At this point, any talk would only make them more uncomfortable than they already were, and would distract them from figuring out what they were going to say. So, they waited. And waited.

After what seemed like forever, Pyrrha tried knocking again, this time a little louder. However, this time, instead of silence, the action was met with muted voices. She could vaguely make out two people arguing about something, and then… footsteps! Someone was coming to the door. As the footsteps grew closer, she realized she was holding her breath, wishing for whoever it was to hurry up, until-

With a slam, the door was wrenched open, revealing a fuming Weiss. "Now you listen, we have had it with you people showing up! We are not some circus event for you to –" Weiss froze, finally realize who she was talking to. "Pyrrha! I am so, so sorry, I wasn't thinking and it's been a very long day, and we haven't been sleeping well, and Blake thought you were someone else, and as you know, Blake has a tendency to be correct on these matters, and so I just assumed you weren't you, and… I'm sorry," she finished lamely, averting her eyes.

JNPR was stunned by Weiss' rant for a moment, before Ren quickly composed himself and placed a hand on the heiress' shoulder. "Have others been coming by?" he asked.

Weiss nodded. "As I'm sure you all know, getting expelled is a rather difficult task at Beacon." Unfortunately, they all did. A certain Winchester had proved that several times over. "As such, the students here have taken to seeing us as some kind of _novelty_. They treat us like some carnival attraction, something to gawk at and laugh about once we leave. It's attracted a lot of miscreants and other unsavory people, I'm afraid. Even someone from the press managed to sneak in, though I doubt I'll ever know how she got past Ozpin."

"The media has been stalking you?" Pyrrha asked worriedly.

"I… wouldn't say that exactly. But they have been clamoring to get the first story out. These morons have no respect for privacy. All they care about is getting the next story sensationalized as quickly as possible," Weiss huffed.

The three members of JNPR had no idea how to respond. Sure, they expected there to be a little backlash against RWBY for Yang's actions, but none of them thought that the story would become this big of a deal. They had been so caught up in dealing with their own problems that the three girls had dealt with the unwanted attention without anyone to turn to. Sure, it was a member of their team who had injured Jaune, but none of them had done anything to hurt him. They certainly didn't deserve this treatment.

"I'm very sorry, Weiss," Pyrrha finally said. "May we… may we come in and talk for a bit? I know that things have been tense between us, but I… we want to make things better."

Weiss stepped into her room for a moment, presumably to ask the rest of her team, before emerging again and giving the okay. As the team entered the room, the first thing they noticed was the mess. RWBY's dorm had always been immaculate (with the exception of the jerry-rigged bunk beds), but now it looked like chaos. Clothes were strewn across the floor, books lay untouched in stacks in the corner, and the walls bore several deep gashes.

"Sorry about the mess." JNPR all turned to see Blake sitting on her bed. "We haven't had much time to clean. It turns out having people bother you 24/7 means nobody gets to do any work outside the room, and we're always too busy to get it cleaned. That, or we just don't have the energy to care." The faunus sounded exhausted, as if she had been awake for three straight days. And if the bags under her eyes were any indication, there was a good chance that's exactly what she did.

"Please, don't worry about it. It's understandable," Ren replied.

Pyrrha scratched her arm nervously. "Er… is Ruby here, or is it just you two?"

The heiress sighed. "No, she's here. Give me a moment to wake her up." She went over to the leader's bed and began poking at the mass of sheets on top of the mattress. After a few attempts, a hand shot out to swat her away, which she promptly grabbed and used to drag out her leader.

"Weiss, c'mon, I'm really not in the mood. What's so important that you had to wake me up?" the leader pouted.

Weiss cleared her throat while continuing to stare at Ruby until the redhead finally took stock of her surroundings. Her eyes widened once she recognized who was in the room, and she teetered dangerously on the bed before tilting too far and plummeting to the ground below. Luckily, she was caught by a white glyph before she impacted the floor.

"Honestly, you would think by now you would've learned to be careful, you dolt."

"Hehe… Sorry, Weiss. And thanks for the catch."

The six students shared a quiet laugh at the awkwardness of the situation before Pyrrha finally gathered the nerve to speak. "Ruby, how are you doing? I'm sure this can't be easy, but have you at least been taking care of yourself?"

Ruby gave a sad smile. "I'm doing okay, I guess. Going through every day without Yang is really weird. Like I keep expecting there to be a dumb joke thrown in at a bad time, or for her to start complaining about her hair, but every time I remember that she's not there, and then I just feel bad so… Things could be worse, I guess?" The group could tell she was putting on a brave face, but nobody commented on it. "What about you guys? How are all of you?"

"We're coping," the champion replied. "We had some issues, but I think we've managed to flush them out."

"What about Nora?" asked Blake.

"What about her?" Ren answered.

"Well, she hasn't said anything the entire time you've been here. Normally, she's the loudest person in the room. It seems to me like something's bothering her."

The rest of the group turned to Nora, waiting for her answer. Finally, she said quietly, "I just don't see why we're here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked.

"It means that this whole thing is your fault!" She exclaimed. "Our leader's in the hospital because of one of your team members, and we're just supposed to act like nothing happened? It isn't fair!"

"Nora, that's too far," Pyrrha scolded.

"Why?" She asked. "You said you blame them too, remember! So why are you acting like there isn't a problem here? They hurt one of our team, they hurt our leader! Maybe they even killed him!"

"NORA!" Ren finally raised his voice to silence his partner. "Apologize. Now."

The bomber shook her head. "No. This is stupid," she said before rushing out the door and slamming it behind her.

Ren shot an apologetic look to the room before departing as well to prevent her from destroying anything expensive, and leaving Pyrrha alone to face the stares of team RWBY.

"You think this is our fault?" Ruby asked quietly, her hands shaking.

"No, we don't think that!" she quickly assured.

"But Nora said you did," Blake accused.

Pyrrha could tell the room was quickly growing hostile, and she had to choose her next words very carefully. She knelt in front of Ruby and brought the reaper's eyes up to meet her own. "I know she did, and I think she still has trouble seeing it otherwise. Jaune is very precious to all of us, and I think seeing you three reminds us of the condition he's in right now." She paused to wipe away some tears from Ruby's eyes. "But that doesn't make it your fault. And I promise, neither Ren nor I blame you for Jaune, and we'll still be there for you all, no matter what happens."

"But Nora does blame us?" Weiss asked coldly.

"I'll talk to her," she replied. "Honestly, I think Nora doesn't know who to blame right now. You know how she is, when a problem comes up, she confronts it head on. But right now, she can't do that. If Yang were still here, I imagine they'd go hit each other for a day or two until they finally gave up. But now, the one person she wants to hate isn't here. So she turned her anger towards the people closest to the one who hurt Jaune. And I am so sorry that she did. I swear, as soon as she calms down, I will drag her back in here to apologize for her words. But until then, please, don't hold it against her. She's just as confused as you three are, maybe even more."

"So… you don't hate us?" Ruby asked.

"No, of course not. You all are our dear friends. This has been hard on all of us, and I'm still not sure exactly what's going to happen, and I have no idea what will happen to us if Jaune doesn't pull through. But I have faith that he will, so in the meantime, let's do our best to support each other, okay?

"Okay," the reaper agreed. And for the first time that day, she let a small, tearful smile come out.

After another brief conversation, Pyrrha excused herself. "As nice as this has been, I really should go check up on Jaune. The nurses stop letting guests visit in about an hour, and I haven't had a chance to see him today."

However, before she could leave, there was a small tug on her arm. To her surprise. Ruby was lightly holding onto the back of her uniform. "Um, would it be okay if… if I came too?" she asked nervously. "I kinda haven't been over there yet, and I'm still a little scared to go, and I'm not sure if I'm ready but I think if you agree to let me come it will make it a little less awkward and oh my gosh I'm making this awkward and it was a stupid idea I'm just gonna shut up now so sorry." She quickly pulled her hood over her head.

Pyrrha laughed lightly before patting her head. "It's okay, Ruby. I'm sure Jaune would love it if you came to visit." The leader nodded silently before waving goodbye to her teammates and following the champion out the door.

The trip to the infirmary was short, but even so, traversing the courtyard in absolute silence was a strange experience for Pyrrha. She thought about trying to make small talk along the way, but she couldn't think of anything to say. Unfortunately, there weren't any 'Sorry your sister punched my leader and now she's expelled' greeting cards at any of the local markets. Luckily, it seemed Ruby was just as content to remain silent, and so they were spared any awkward conversation attempts that would undoubtedly end in one of them embarrassed.

When they finally reached the infirmary, the two quickly made their way to Jaune's room. It helped that the nurses all knew Pyrrha by now – she had taken more than enough trips to see Jaune.

When they entered, it was a familiar sight to Pyrrha, but a shocking one to Ruby. Jaune lay on the bed, surrounded by monitors beeping at asynchronous intervals. Surprisingly, the sight appeared to calm Pyrrha. "Maybe it's just my imagination," she said, "but I think he has a little more color than he did yesterday."

"He was worse than this?" Ruby gasped.

The champion answered solemnly, "For a while, they couldn't get him stable. He lost a lot of blood, and he didn't have any aura left to heal. Even with the regular aura injections, they had to resort to some more archaic methods of healing. Apparently, it's akin to sewing, using a thread and needle."

"And now? How long do they think he'll be out for?"

"It's hard to say. He could wake up tomorrow, or he could wake up three months from now. But his aura's working overtime already. No matter when he wakes up, he'll still need several weeks before he can even leave the bed."

The reaper approached Jaune slowly, and began carefully stroking his hair. Half his face was hidden by a bandage, but the part that was visible seemed peaceful. "When I first met Jaune, it was like, for the first time, I got to have a real sibling," she said.

Pyrrha was shocked. "Ruby, I know you're mad at Yang, but doesn't banishing her from your family seem a little harsh?"

"What? Nonononono that's not what I meant!" she said, waving her arms frantically. I love Yang, and she's a great sister, it's just…" she trailed off.

"Just what, Ruby?"

"As long as I can remember, it's been Yang taking care of me," Ruby said. "My mom died when I was really young, and after that, our dad just… stopped. I guess losing two wives does that to a guy. But my point is that it was Yang who raised me, not my parents. She was the one who made sure that I ate three meals a day. And it was her that made sure I always did my homework and got to bed on time. She was only two years older, but we never really got to be sisters. We never got to play house, or have sleepovers, because she had to play every role in the family."

"Ruby, I had no idea…" Pyrrha said. She wasn't sure how to respond to such a revelation.

"For a long time, Yang was all I had. Nobody really wanted to be friends with the kid who was always crying about her mom. Before I got to Signal, none of the kids in my grade talked to me. Yang tried to get me to sit with her friends, but apparently having your little sister around 24/7 isn't really cool. So, she and I would sit together at lunch, every single day. Even when she went to Signal she still came back twice a week. Come to think of it, I probably ruined any chance she ever had at dating back then." She let out a small laugh.

"She really cared about you, didn't she?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yeah," Ruby replied softly. "She's always been there to protect me. But she's always cared about other people too. I know she didn't mean to hurt Jaune, Pyrrha. It was stupid, and reckless, but she didn't mean to hurt him, I swear." She paused, before adding quietly, "I don't think she's a bad person."

The champion shook her head sadly. "I know she didn't mean to, Ruby. But sometimes," she paused to think of what to say. "Sometimes just having good intentions isn't good enough. Maybe she didn't mean to hurt Jaune, maybe she did. But the fact is that Jaune is laying on that bed, unconscious, because of her. And if he has to give up his dream because of her… I don't think I'll ever forgive her for that."

The two sat in silence for a while. Slowly, it was broken by a rhythmic tapping on the floor. Pyrrha glanced up to see tears dripping off of her friend's face, splashing onto the floor. Quietly, she wrapped and arm around the reaper and pulled her close. "Hey," she whispered, "why don't you tell me more about growing up with your sister?"

Ruby gave a weak smile of thanks. "Things got better once Uncle Qrow came by and beat some sense into my dad," she answered, the tears gradually starting to slow. "But by that point, raising me like her own child was a force of habit to Yang. When my dad first starting acting like a father again, she got really protective and said he was only allowed to be a parent when she was around, because she didn't want him to hurt me again."

At the thought of Yang telling off her father, Pyrrha burst into giggles. "I'm sorry," she choked out. "I just can't stop laughing about a tiny Yang telling your dad he can't raise you without her permission." A few seconds later, Ruby joined in with her own laugh, wiping away the leftover moisture from her eyes.

"Yeah, the whole situation was kinda ridiculous. A twelve year old teaching a grown man how to be a parent. But that's who Yang was. That's who she still is. And that's why I was so glad to meet Jaune. For the first time, I had someone I could really be close to, who I could do all of things I never got to do with Yang."

"I think I understand how you feel," Pyrrha replied. "I didn't have many friends at Sanctum, just fans who saw me as some idol. So meeting Jaune for me was the same. It was like there was finally someone I could just be 'Pyrrha' around. Not the Goddess of Victory, or the Invincible Girl. Just plain, old Pyrrha."

Ruby smiled fondly at her comatose friend. "He really is a dork, isn't he?"

"He certainly is. But, I wouldn't have him any other way. Would you?"

Ruby shook her head before leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. "Wake up soon, Jaune," she whispered. "We all miss you."

She exited the room, and Pyrrha rose to follow. However, she did take the chance to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You'll pull through, Jaune. I know you will."

 **AN: And for once, this ends on a happy note. Not much to say for this note, but just a few things to mention:**

 **First, thanks to RWBYGuy2015 for becoming the new Beta reader for this story.**

 **Second, as always, please leave a review, the feedback is always super helpful, and I love hearing from all of you.**

 **And finally, a very happy summer to all of you!**


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